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Rita Houston

A nationally recognized tastemaker with a broad knowledge of and passion for music, Rita Houston shapes the musical direction of WFUV's acclaimed City Folk® format. With the help of staff, Houston selects the songs that become part of City Folk®, establishes theme days and creates popular features like "New Release Monday" and "Guilty Pleasures Day." Well-known for her rapport with artists, she books the on-air interviews, hosting a number of them herself. Houston also serves as executive producer of the nationally distributed City Folk Live concert series, and produces annual benefit CDs of performances from WFUV's Studio A.

After years as a popular City Folk® midday host, Houston shifted her on-air presence to create The Whole Wide World with Rita Houston, a dance-based program showcasing her wide-ranging taste in music. The show airs Friday nights from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, and often features live sessions with artists from around the globe, and broadcasting from locations as exotic as Louisville, KY, and Austin, TX.

Houston is a two-time Radio & Records (R&R) Music Director of the Year and a three-time designate of Gavin's Music Director of the Year, and she has also been awarded the Deems Taylor Award for Broadcast Excellence. In 2001, Houston enjoyed acclaim as part of the WFUV team as its was named Album Network 2001 Major Market Adult Rock Station of the Year, Gavin's Station of the Year, and the 2001, 2002 and 2003 FMQB Progressive Noncommercial Radio Station of the Year.

Houston came to WFUV in 1994 from Westchester's WXPS, where she hosted Starlight Express, a show close in style to City Folk®. After anchoring the midday there for six years, she left the station to join WFUV. A Westchester native, Houston recently moved from the East Village to Nyack, N.Y., to plant basil and perfect her fireplace skills.

Son Little clearly studies, respects and loves the music that came before him. What happens next, though, is what makes him so appealing. Aaron Livingston made his name as a collaborator with The Roots and RJD2, each of whom helped him develop a sound that touches on soul, blues, hip-hop and reggae. Samples, fuzzy guitar and simple drums work together to create an undeniable groove, and as a songwriter, he can really tell a story.

Tue January 22, 2013

A lot is about to change for The Lone Bellow, a trio of Southerners who now call Brooklyn home: The band has yet to perform outside of New York, but its self-titled debut album is already charting on iTunes. Its members just quit their day jobs this month so they can go on tour.

You'll see in this performance why they're bound to connect with new fans on the road. Zach Williams, Kanene Pipkin and Brian Elmquist are natural, passionate live performers who play and sing infectious folk-rock in close harmony with startling confidence.

Sat January 19, 2013

Soul singer Cody ChesnuTT strips his sound down to its solo essence in this performance of the lyrically rich "That's Still Mama," a song about remembering where you come from. ChesnuTT mostly dropped out of the spotlight during the 10 years that passed following his 2002 debut, The Headphone Masterpiece — a stretch which clearly inspired his new album, Landing on a Hundred.

Tue September 25, 2012

Early fans of Mumford & Sons' debut album, Sigh No More, had to wait a while for the London band's second release. Marcus Mumford, Country Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane spent the last three years traveling the world and playing to increasingly huge crowds as their popularity bloomed.